Barcelona will once again depend on the Lionel Messi magic as they get prepared to take on the staunchly defensive Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou in Barcelona on Saturday.
Barcelona will be coming into the match at the back of a stunning and thrilling 4-4 draw against Villarreal where they snatched the draw from the jaws of defeat. They will be high on morale, believing they can come back from any situation.
Barcelona are currently comfortably on top of the La Liga table, eight points ahead of second-placed Atletico and almost ready to win another league title.
Atletico Madrid have been criticised this season for their lacklustre performance, especially in the Champions League. However, Atletico have been quite good in the league and unsurprisingly, have the best defensive record in La Liga this season, having conceded only 19 times in their 30 league matches.
Atletico who are currently five points ahead of Real Madrid on the second spot in the La Liga table will at least look to finish runners-up this season.
In the 14 fixtures between Barcelona and Atletico at Camp Nou, Barca have won 11 and lost just once and that does not spell well for the Diego Simeone side.
LIVE STREAM
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid will be live streamed on Facebook in India. Till last season, Sony Sports had the contract of La Liga matches but this season, the Spanish league’s matches have been streamed on the social networking site.
The match is slated for 12.15am IST start.
PREDICTIONS
Barcelona will be without the services of Ousmane Dembele, who is out with a hamstring injury. Rafinha is also unavailable having undergone a knee surgery earlier this season.
Arturo Vidal meanwhile will be unavailable as he is suspended after picking up another yellow card against Villarreal.
Barcelona predicted XI: Ter Stegen; Nelson Semedo, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Arthur, Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic; Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi.
For Atletico Madrid, they have been handed a late boost after Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata were both passed fit ahead of the match. Simeone is now likely to field them as the team’s main attacking threat.
Antoine Griezmann’s recent form is a bit of a worry but he will still be fielded while Angel Correa could come in for an injured Thomas Lemar.
Atletico Madrid predicted XI: Jan Oblak; Filipe Luis, Diego Godin, Jose Gimenez; Saul, Rodrigo, Koke, Santiago Arias; Alvaro Morata, Antoine Griezmann, Diego Costa
LAST 5 RESULTS
Barcelona:
Drew with Villarreal 4-4
Beat Espanyol 2-0
Beat Real Betis 4-1
Beat Rayo Vallecano 3-1
Beat Real Madrid 1-0
Atletico Madrid:
Beat Girona 2-0
Beat Alaves 4-0
Lost to Athletic Bilbao 2-0
Beat Leganes 1-0
Beat Real Sociedad 2-0
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